


A Normal Night

by lukadarkwater



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-22 00:39:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2488031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lukadarkwater/pseuds/lukadarkwater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of the three fics A Normal Night, A Normal Day, and A Normal Twilight.  The story focuses around Rythian, Zoey, and their children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rythian was on the hunt. He crept up the hall, careful to avoid the squeaking wooden boards, and slipped into the dinning room on silent feet. After inching his way to the table, he bent down and, with a flourish, whipped the tablecloth up.  
“Ha!” he exclaimed, as he poked his head under the table “Got yo-“ He stopped as he realized that the space was empty except for a few dust bunnies and what looked like a half eaten carrot.  
Stumped, he leaned back and allowed the cloth to fall back into place. As he did, he faintly heard a soft patter of running feet from the next room. With a grin, he dashed into the adjacent living room and caught the end of a brown braid disappearing behind the sofa.

 

“Oh dear,” he said, ever so casually, as he crept closer to the sofa “I do wonder where she could be hiding.”  
The only reply was a faint giggle from the mysterious braided creature that had slipped behind the couch. Rythian edged closer to the piece of furniture, all the while wondering aloud where she could have gone. As soon as he was near enough, he quickly poked his head over the top and said, with great enthusiasm “BOO!”  
“AHHH!” the tiny brown haired girl that had been hiding there squealed, and ran out.  
Rythian dived around the side and scooped up the girl before she could make her escape.  
“Got you!” He exclaimed  
“No Papa! Put me down!” The blue eyed girl whined, half laughing as she struggled to free herself from her father.  
“Mmm I seem to recall that you made a deal with me that if I caught you, you would go to sleep Miss Emily.” Rythian said, and poked his young daughter in the stomach.  
She giggled as he did but protested just the same “But I wanna wait until Mamma gets home!”  
Rythian cradled the toddler in his arms and began to move towards the stairs “You know your mother won’t be home until much later, she’s off on her annual mushroom meeting, and it is already past your bedtime. If I let you stay up until she got home, I would be the one getting into trouble!”  
“But Papa-“  
“No buts, it’s a bath and bed for you, little one.” He said, and tapped her on the nose, which was nestled between her freckles, and smiled at her.  
She stuck out her tongue, a gesture that reminded him strongly of her mother, and crossed her little arms. “I don’t like baths. Uncle Tee doesn’t make me take baths.”  
Rythian chuckled and said, “Well, I’m afraid Uncle Tee isn’t here and I don’t allow stinky adventurers in this house.”  
“I’m not stinky!” Emily protested, once again renewing her struggle against her father as they reached the bathroom “You’re stinky!”  
He chuckled “No, I take my baths.” Suddenly, he grinned down at her with a mysterious twinkle in his eye. “Emily, you know the reason why Uncle Tee doesn’t make you take a bath?”  
She stopped her struggles and cocked her head at her father “Why?”  
Rythian lowered his voice to a stage whisper and hissed “Because he knows that if you don’t take your baths, you will turn just as green as him!”  
Emily let out a squeal “No I won’t! You’re lying!”  
Rythian shrugged “Alright, but tomorrow when you wake up green, don’t blame me. Oh look, it’s already started.” He gasped, and pretended spot a patch on her back.”  
“No! I don’t want to be green!” Emily cried, and thrashed in her father’s arms. “I wanna bath! I wanna bath!”  
Rythian chuckled “Alright, alright. One bubble bath coming up!” he said, and, after helping her out of her jumper, plunked Emma down into the bath water he had prepared.  
After a thorough scrub, and her father’s solemn word that there were no green spots left on her, Emily allowed herself to be carried, yawning slightly, into her room.  
Rythian walked across the hall into her room and, after dodging the toys that were always scattered across the floorboards, laid his sleepy daughter in her bed.  
“Papa,” she yawned, and grabbed his hand “Can you tell me a bedtime story?”  
“Sure, little one.” He said, and settled down, running a hand through her hair, “Which one do you want to hear tonight?”  
“The one about you, Mamma, and Uncle Tee.” she said  
He laughed softly “I’ve told you that one so many times, I’m sure you could tell me the story.”  
“No, Emily want Papa to do it.” She said persistently and crossed her arms, once more becoming the spiting image of her mother.  
“Alright,” he said “Let me tell you a story about a boy and a girl, and a land of magic and monsters…”  
Later, when Zoey arrived home, she expected to find Rythian awake, welcoming her. Instead, she found him curled up on their daughter’s bed, cradling her in his arms.  
She smiled as she looked down at her sleeping family and, after putting out the light, kissed them both on the cheek, before lying down next to them and falling asleep as well.


	2. A Normal Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rythian thought having one child was hard, until he had two. Squeal to A Normal Night

“Papa!”

Rythian barely had time to turn around before he was nearly knocked off his feet by his daughter running into his legs.

“Papa!” Emily wailed again, and he looked down just in time to see her small face disappear into the fabric of his pants leg as she clung to him.

He reached down and picked up the dark haired girl, cradling her in his arms, “What’s the matter, little one?” he asked, as he saw that her normally blue eyes were red-rimed and teary.

She sniffed and said, “ Joakim’s gone missing again. I searched the house but I don’t know where he is!” she buried her head in his neck and began to cry as she continued, “I don’t know what’s happened to him and he could be hurt and-“

“Emily,” said Rythian, comfortingly stroking her hair. “Your brother always wanders off, but he never goes too far. Did you check the Mooshroom’s pins?”

Her reply was a tiny shake of her head. “Why don’t we go try there before we panic, ok?”

“Ok.” Emily sniffed, leaning back from his neck a little so she could see.

Rythian carried his daughter across their yard to where Zoey kept her mooshrooms: a barn Rythian had built for her years ago.

He opened up the faded birchwood doors and called out “Joakim, are you in here?”

There was a slight shuffling sound and a small boy emerged from the second stall on the left. He had the same bright blue eyes as his sister but had much lighter brown hair and already Rythian could tell that he would have the same strange tuft of differently colored hair as he did, only Joakim’s seemed to be growing in darker brown instead of lighter like Rythian’s.

At the sight of her little brother, Emily struggled free and rushed over to him. She threw her arms around his whole head and crushed him to her. 

“Joakim! I told you not to run away! I got so scared and you know what Mamma said about the Mooshrooms!”

The only reply the small boy could manage was to mumble into his sister’s shirt. Rythian laughed, “I think you’re crushing him a little, Emily. Let him go so he can talk.”

Emily loosened her hold just slightly so Joakim could twist around and see his father. “Papa, I was only here for a second. I just wanted to see Thomas.”

Thomas, the baby mooshroom, let out a moo at the sound of his name and stuck his head over the gate, trying to find Joakim.

“I’m here, Tom.” Joakim said, and tried to wiggle out of his sister’s grip.

Rythian sighed and shook his head. “Joakim, I know you like talking with the mooshrooms, but can’t you wait until your mother is around to make sure you don’t get hurt?”

“But Tom said he felt like eating grass today for the first time.” Joakim said

Rythian ran a hand though his hair and picked both of the children up, balancing one on each hip.

“Well Tom will just have to wait until Mamma or Uncle Tee gets home so they can watch you, ok?”

Joakim nodded sullenly but his sister spotted something behind them

“Mamma!” she cried excitedly, and jumped out of her father’s arms to run to her mother. 

Zoey smiled widely and opened her arms for her running daughter. “Hey good looking, what’s cookin’?” she asked, nuzzling her daughter’s head.

“Joakim ran off to the mooshrooms again today and Papa had to help me find him!”

Zoey laughed and looked at Rythian and Joakim. “Is Tom finally ready to eat some grass?”

Joakim nodded silently and looked around “Where’s Uncle Tee mamma?”

“He already went inside with the rest of the stuff!”

“Is it ok if I play with him before bed?”

Rythian cleared his throat before Zoey could agree, “Now, Zoey, don’t you think Joakim’s had enough adventures for today? Besides, don’t you two want to help your mom make cookies?”

At that, both of the children perked up “Ohmygosh,” Emily squealed, “We’re making cookies tonight?!”

Zoey stuck her tongue out at Rythian “Way to ruin the surprise!”

He shrugged “To be fair, it wouldn’t have been a surprise for much longer.”

“Can I lick the spoon, Mamma?” Emily begged, and hugged her mother’s neck.

“She always gets to lick it,” Joakim said petulantly from Rythian’s arms.

“Now Em,” said Zoey, “If you lick the whole spoon, how will you save room for chocolate milk?”

“We’re having that too!?”

“Yup! Tee and I spent the whole day gathering coco beans!”

“Ok, well I guess Joakim can have one half and I’ll have the other!” Emily conceded.

“There’s my girl,” Zoey smiled “Now, let’s go get started before Tee gets too hungry and eats all of the cookies himself!”

She reached over and looped her free arm though Rythian’s before pulling all of them into the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the overwhelming amount of love A Normal Night received, I knew I had to write a squeal! I’m not as happy with this one as the first, but that is how I normally feel about squeals.


	3. A Normal Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The account of how Rythian and Zoey’s story comes to an end.

Splash!

Emily looked up from staring at the path to see that it had begun to rain. She sighed heavily and began to make her way back to the house. As she walked, she remembered when she was little and how she had run though the trees, laughing and immortal, safe in the protection of her parents love. 

“Everything is changing.” She thought as she emerged from the woods.

She had come out near the front lawn and then slowly made her way up the wide front porch that held the big swing on which her mother had first taught her to read.

“Now Emily,” Zoey had said, sitting down next to the squirming three year old. “Today I am going to introduce you to a whole bunch of new friends.”

“I thought you were going to teach me to read like you and Papa?” She had asked, confused

Zoey smiled “I am. You’ll see,” she had laid a paper out with all the letters of the alphabet written on it “To read, you have to make friends with each and every one of these letters. You have to remember their names and how to say them properly or they will be sad. Now this one is called ‘A’ and he makes the Ah sound…”

Emily was pulled from her daydreams as Joakim opened the door. Her younger brother carried the same sadness in his eyes that she felt in her heart and she hated not being able to save him from this pain.

“How is he?” She managed to ask

He sighed “Worse than before. The doctor just finished seeing him and I was about to come find you. He doesn’t have much time left.”

Emily had suspected news like this, which was why she had left in the first place, but to hear it said aloud still hit her like a blow to the stomach.

“You should come see him.” Joakim said, and moved out of the doorway for her.

Emily walked in and followed him up the stairs to their parent’s bedroom.

She opened the door and looked around the room that hadn’t changed in years. To her left, on the wall adjacent to the door was an old oak dresser that held pictures of herself, Joakim, her parents, and more recently, her own daughter. Next to that, was her father’s desk, where she could remember watching him as he worked and, when he was away, crawling into the big leather chair he sat on and taking comfort from its warm, safe smell. To this day, she could still recall the smell and had the urge to go sit on it, to feel the safety if offered once more.

However, she knew she couldn’t. At last, her gaze fell on the master bed. It was a grand old thing with deep purple sheets and four posts that rose to the ceiling; a place that held the escape from all the nighttime horrors of a young child. Whenever she had a bad dream, or a wild thunderstorm roused her from her sleep, she would creep into the room and cuddle between her parents where her father would always wake up and stroke her hair until she fell back to sleep.

Now, however, her father lay alone on the bed while Zoey sat beside him on a chair, holding his hand.

Rythian’s once brown hair had faded to completely gray and his face was carved with wrinkles. The only thing that hadn’t been altered by time, were his eyes that still held the same light she had known since she was born.

As she came in, her mother looked up and smiled “Hello Emily, Joakim. You’re father has been asking for you.”

Emily reached down and took her brothers hand, feeling reassured by the sight squeeze she received in return, and they walked to his bedside.

“Papa,” She said, kneeling down next to him “We are here.”

“There you kids are.” He said quietly, turning to face them. “Always running off without a word to either of us.”

“We aren’t running anymore, Papa. We will stay here until- until you don’t need us anymore.” She said, choking back the tears that threatened to come.

“Good, good, I was just telling your mother not to forget to feed the wolves when I’m gone. She’s just so forgetful.”

“Hey, I’m right here you know. I won’t forget, old man.” Zoey retorted from beside him.

Rythian chuckled but dropped his voice to a fake whisper as he looked at his kids “But really, don’t let her forget.”

Zoey slapped his arm playfully, causing Rythian to laugh, and, for a moment it felt like nothing had changed from Emily’s childhood. That was, until Rythian was overcome with a violent coughing fit and the seriousness of the situation overshadowed the room once more.

The hours dragged by and with each one that passed, Rythian slipped further and further away. He began to ramble about things that had happened in the past as if they were still going on and his eyes became more and more distant

Finally, around two in the morning, he reached over and stroked Zoey’s face. 

“You look beautiful tonight, love. As gorgeous as you did on the day you fell out of the sky.”

Zoey placed her hand over his, while tears began to run down her face. “You always had a way with words.”

He twined his fingers with hers and laid them down on the bed. Then he said, “I love you, Zoey. I love you my crazy girl.” And with that, he breathed his last.

“Papa?” Emily asked, leaping to him “Papa please! Open your eyes!” She frantically searched for a pulse, tears streaming down her face “Please Daddy please! Don’t leave me!”

Joakim put his arm around her shoulder. “He’s gone, Em.” She felt him shudder as he said his next words “They both are.”

“Wha-“ Emily looked down to see her mother’s head resting on the mattress; hands still twined with Rythian’s.

“Mamma,” she said, dropping to her knees. “Mamma?” but there was no response.

Joakim dropped down beside her, and pulled her to him. “They passed at the same time.” He said with tears running down his face “I don’t think she could stand to be without him.”

A week later, Emily stood in the forest outside of the place that used to be called Blackrock. She stood staring at the graves of her parents while she held a little girl with fiery red hair in her arms. 

“Mamma?” the little girl asked as she wiped a tear off of her mother’s cheek. “What’s that hole over there?”

Emily half smiled and said softly “Let me tell you a story, little one. Let me tell you a story about a boy and a girl, and a land of magic and monsters…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is not at all what I usually write and it was actually painful to put on paper. I choose Twilight for the title because to, twilight signals the end of one age and the start of another. Someone on DA made a comment about a story about Rythian dying and I couldn’t get the idea out of my head so I decided to write it!

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this so long ago now but I'm still pretty happy with it.  
> I have a headcannon that he would be such a stay home dad and just dote on his children (especially if they had a daughter). Not a whole lot of direct Zoethian in here unlike the rest of my fics, but I mean it is their child so yeah.


End file.
